DFA Tours National Library of the Philippines for 2nd Heritage Walk in Manila
Participants applaud Dr. Chua’s impassioned recitation of Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios. (Photo credits: DFA-OPD James Ryan Artiaga)
MANILA 02 June 2025 – In celebration of National Heritage Month last May, the Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Office of Cultural Diplomacy, organized the second Heritage Walk for Department personnel at the National Library of the Philippines, on 22 May 2025.
Public historian Dr. Michael Charleston “Xiao” B. Chua led the tour for participants from the Office of the Undersecretary for Migration Affairs, Office of the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations, Office of ASEAN Affairs, Department Legislative Liaison Unit, Human Resources Management Office, Office of Consular Affairs, Office of European Affairs, Office of Financial Management Services, Office of Civilian Security, Office of Protocol, Office of Migration Affairs, Office of Middle East and African Affairs, Office of Cultural Diplomacy, Office of International Economic Relations, Office of Public Diplomacy, and Office of Policy Planning and Coordination, regaling them with scholarly yet entertaining historical narratives.
Dr. Chua began the tour with an introduction to the mandate of the National Library of the Philippines, followed by visits to the Presidential Library, where several books on culture, heritage and law from Malacanan’s Presidential Museum and Library can now be accessed by the general public, and to the Permanent Gallery, which houses a collection of rare and original books, documents, and manuscripts.
Among the notable pieces in the Permanent Gallery were the historic 1734 Murillo Velarde Map, which served as evidence in the 2016 Arbitral Award that settled the Philippines’ maritime entitlements, the Calendario para el Año 1898 a sus Parroquianos, a mini-almanac containing Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s written memoranda, including his inscription of the official time of the declaration of Philippine independence, portraits and compilations of political essays by Lope K. Santos, Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, Epifanio de los Santos, and Teodoro M. Kalaw, influential figures in Philippine history, as well as the original manuscripts and facsimile copies of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
The Presidential Library contains books accumulated over time by past Philippine presidents that had previously been stored at the presidential palace and were turned over to the National Library, at the initiative of the First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, for cleaning and restoration, to be made available to students, researchers and the general public.
The participants also got a glimpse of the newly-renovated children’s library that will open later this year and concluded with a walkthrough of the “then and now” paintings of the National Library that offered a visual journey of its transformation over the years. END
Dr. Xiao Chua, with the help of Assistant Secretary Feria, exhibits the book, “Philippines”, by Richard Chesnoff, which he considers one of the best books in the collection of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos that is now at the Presidential Library (Photo credits: DFA-OPD James Ryan Artiaga)
Participants from various offices of the Department, led by Assistant Secretary Celia Anna M. Feria (middle), pose with Dr. Michael Charleston "Xiao" Chua (7th from left, front row) and NLP Director Cesar Gilbert Q. Adriano (to the right of Assistant Secretary Feria), at the Permanent Gallery of the NLP (Photo credits: DFA-OPD James Ryan Artiaga)